[CSeaSee]

Well, I'm not much of a DIY guy, but I got tired of mixing kalkwasser and changing the 2-L pop bottle every day, and having to add water on top of that. I've got an open-top 55-gallon tank w/ 2 150W MH, and I lose about 1/2 a gallon a day to evaporation. So, I took a 5-gallon plastic food pail (clean, of course) and drilled a small hole into the side of it, near the bottom. Then I took a primary IV line (fiance is an emergency veterinary technician) and put it in the hole. The hole was airtight , but I put some putty around it anyways. I put the whole thing on a closet shelf about six inches higher than the tank. The closet is directly behind the tank, and the line is duct-taped to one corner of the tank. It's on a constant drip, and the 5 gallons of water lasts about a week. Then I fill it up again from a different bucket, so the dosing bucket never actually moves. It's great! Has anyone else done something like this? Sorry I can't post a pic- no camera. The only disadvantage is that as the water level drops, so does the pressure and the drip rate, so the line needs to be opened up more. I think this can be partly solved by shortening the line (which has a couple of loops in it because if its length).

[Fish R.Ph.]

Originally Posted by CSeaSee

...Has anyone else done something like this?

I did something similar that I hope to use for my 75 gallon when it is complete. I used some simple tubing and quick release connections from Home Depot. I drilled a 1/2 inch hole in the bucket, and screwed in a threaded male adapter. I sealed it with some pcv cement, then siliconed it both inside and out. No leaks yet. The valve allows me to control the drip rate pretty well. Also, with the easy disconnect of the quick release connectors, I can close the valve, disconnect the line from the valve, and take the bucket down for cleaning, refilling, etc. If anyone sees any flaws in this plan...please feel free to tell me. I'm pretty inexperienced in the DIY world too.



I will probably just drip the lime water overnight, turning the drip off in the morning. I am wondering if anyone knows how long the lime water will last, since the bucket could hold enough for several nights? I have read that it gets a 'film' over the top after a while.

-Jason

[zhenya]

Here's the simpliest doser that one can possibly make, curtesy of our Kevinpo.

I did it in less than 10 minutes and been using it since.
Simple Kalk Doser TOTW 02-14-05

[CSeaSee]

Mine looks almost exactly like yours, except the line is smaller. I've got it set for a slow drip 24 hrs. a day, and my 5 gallons last a week. I've got a 55 open-top w/ 2 150 MH. Towards the end, my drip rate slows down, but it's nothing catastrophic. I like your screw-in method.

[charlie]

Originally Posted by zhenya

Here's the simpliest doser that one can possibly make, curtesy of our Kevinpo.

I did it in less than 10 minutes and been using it since.
Simple Kalk Doser TOTW 02-14-05

I've had mine set up for about 3 years now, and life is good. I drip close to 4 gallons every day or so, give or take about 1/2 day.

[doody]

Well I have an auto top off unit. A 3g container with a powerhead and float switch. Can this be used? How?

[ohioreef]

I dose my kalk through an auto top off system. I am using a 5g container of limewater. It is dosed into my tank via an AquaLifter pump controlled by a float switch.

[kabal2]

http://jjgeisler.com/reeftank/diy_ka...er_reactor.htm , i build one just like that but all made of pvc, i use a ph monitor to calculate when i need to put more kalkwasser in it, its a nice easy idea to build

[golfish]

This is what I used before I decided to pony up the cash for a Kalk reactor...My wife's an RN so she used to get me IV drippers.

`

[charles6299]

what if your RO/DI unit is hooked up to your auto top off using a solinoid brain...what would you suggest for the dosage automaticall? does that make sense ?

[charles6299]

i am still under construction of a 125 ga. reef, so if this sounds goofy, i apologize.....how are you mixing the kalk ? to what ratio of water ? and how scientific is the flow rate ?
Can i make this simple ? i am using an RO/DI unit that is hooked up to an auto top off, so is there another way i can splice the water line coming in and into some kind of chamber ?